Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Packing Light, Packing Smart

- As of Feb. 10, Spirit Airlines in the U.S. started charging $10 for a second bag, $100 for a third.- As of Feb. 13, British Airways started rejecting any bag over 50 pounds (and many others will charge you a hefty fee).- Aer Lingus, the Irish carrier, now charges for every bag checked on flights within Europe.

Not on this list is the fact that baggage is a profit center for European budget carriers EasyJet and RyanAir. They make no bones about bag charges being more profitable than ticket sales.

So pare down and remember that pretty much anywhere in the world, they do laundry. Get Susan Foster's book for plenty of good advice, or visit her site SmartPacking.com for lots of great articles and tips.

Then when you're getting ready to buy a sensibly-sized bag and some cheap and light essentials, go to this travel gear resources site for some deal links.